


Just across the hall

by Truerwords



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:05:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3646203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Truerwords/pseuds/Truerwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They don't exactly meet under the best circumstances. She has a habit of commenting on how he's raising his 16 year old sister. She doesnt intend on pissing him off. It just happens</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unhappy Introductions

She can hear them fighting across the hall. The apartment walls are thin enough to hinder her from knowing exactly what they're fighting about but they do nothing to drown out the incessant yelling. Normally when Octavia and Bellamy fight it doesn't phase her, but Clarke is coming off a full day of clinicals and she still hasn't started on her history paper. Peace and quiet would go a long way in helping her keep calm and carry on. 

As soon as Clarke hears the front door to apartment 2B slam, she stands up from her dining table and heads for the door. As expected, there is a knock on her door (apartment 2A) not two seconds later. However, when she opens the door she is completely surprised by the presence of a young man. He's tall, tan with rough dark curls surrounding his face. And he looks livid. She can tell because his eyes seem black, there is a red tinge covering his face and he's breathing pretty hard. 

"What the hell is wrong with you? Who the hell do you think you are? Giving my 16 year old sister advice about... boys..." 

This is not at all how she expected to be meeting Bellamy Blake. He's been living in the apartment with Octavia for a little over a month but it never seemed like a good time to introduce herself. Briefly she thinks that it kinda sucks that this is how it happens. 

She can tell that he's getting ready for another tirade and it's not something she is even slightly capable of handling right now. So she tries a different tact. 

"Hi I'm Clarke Griffin. You must be Bellamy Blake." 

He scoffs. Scoffs at her! And then lets out a frustrated chuckle. "Oh I know who you are, Princess. I've never met you but you're constantly in my business...in our business." Suddenly his voice raises an octave in what must be an imitation of Octavia "Clarke says this, Clarke says that, but clarke thinks...Blah Blah Blah." He's no longer looking at Clarke, flashing back to previous conversations (heated discussions?) with Octavia. 

Clarke decides that this is probably the best time to strike back when he's clearly distracted and not on top of his game. She knows it's low but she has a damn paper to write. "Look I get that you don't know me but I know Octavia, have been tutoring her for over a year now. She and your mother have been like a second family to me and if she needs to talk to me about things I will be here for her whether you like it or not." 

He's quick to retort. "She's my family and I'm the only one that's going to be talking to her about ... stuff."

It's her turn to scoff now. Scoff! "You can't even say it. Sex. Talk to her about SEX." Clarke is full on yelling now and she just can't seem to stop. "She's 16 and her mother is no longer here to have these conversations with and honestly do you really think she wants to talk to you about sex?!? Ugh!"

He looks like he is about to have an aneurism. His eyes are wide. It's pretty damn obvious that he did not expect her to start yelling back at him. She considers that maybe not many people do stand up to him. He is sort of intimidating. Tall, angry...kinda hot. Woah WTF Clarke. Did you really just think about his hotness? God I must be tired. 

She decides to ease his suffering, just a bit. Her tone doesn't change though. "Despite what you may think, I care about Octavia and I would never lead her astray. She has a good head on her shoulders." She huffs. Thinking about Octavia and how much she cares about the girl is helping to ease her annoyance (anger?). In a softer tone "I told her that only she could decide when she was ready, not to let anyone force or coerce her into anything and to always be safe. The same things your mom discussed with her months ago."

She looks away from him then because she doesn't want him to see her tearing up from the onslaught of memories tied to his mother's presence and absence in her life. She knows he must be hurting too. "Octavia is hurting and I don't want her making a rash decisions because she's trying to escape her pain." 

Clarke glances at Bellamy now. His brow is furrowed and he's looking away from her. He still looks tense but not as angry. She waits to see if he has any response. Nothing comes. She doesn't have anything else to say and that paper isn't going to write itself. As she closes her front door, she says, "Goodnight Bellamy Blake."

An inch away from door being completely closed, she hears him say in a whisper "Goodnight Princess."


	2. Not so studious

It's been two days since he introduced himself to (verbally accosted) his neighbor, Clarke Griffin. And she keeps popping into his head. His sister acts like she's some sort of saint. It certainly seems like Clarke's got a savior complex. Bellamy can still hear her voice "I will be here for her whether you like it or not." She may appear all goody two shoes but she's a little feisty too. If it wasn't for the fact that she keeps sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, he probably would have hit on her. A smirk grows on his face just considering what her response might be to that. 

Don't get him wrong it's nice to know that Octavia has a friend she can count on but he's just not sure if Clarke's ideas about what's good for Octavia align with his own. In fact, he's pretty damn sure they'd have a difference in opinion. 

It also doesn't help that he seems to have lost all sway when it comes to Octavia. As far as she's concerned, he's - what was the word? - an asshat. He's still trying to figure that one out but he guesses it's not a term of endearment. He's wondering if Octavia heard the term from the "saintly" Clarke as he unlocks the door to the apartment, entering to find the two of them at their dining room table giggling and eating popcorn over some textbooks. 

"Aren't you supposed to be studying, Octavia?" 

He glances at Clarke, "Princess." She immediately stares daggers at him. He only chuckles, "You don't like being called Princess, do you, Princess?" 

"I don't think we've reached a point where you get it call me by a nickname especially since it's so clear that it's not complimentary." 

He responds in his most sarcastic tone "what could possibly make you think that?" A smug smirk makes an appearance and he shrugs, "Too bad, Princess. I like it, seems fitting."

She retorts, "Fine then... Dickface." Turning to his sister "no offense Octavia." 

Octavia just grins, "It's ok. He knows I think he's an asshat." 

"Watch it" he growls out. This whole conversation is only giving him more evidence that Octavia is getting some negative habits from Clarke Griffin. "Once again, aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"We are taking a much needed break." Octavia replies, hoping to appease her brother. "Besides Clarke already helped me memorize all of the bones in the human body. It's just some reviewing that we need to finish. We have loads of time. We were waiting for the pizza before we dive back in." 

Looking pointedly at Clarke, "You're staying for dinner?" 

"Yes, tutoring nights have kind of become our girls nights too. Is that a problem?" 

"Don't you have anything better to do than hang out with your 16 year old neighbor?"

"Hey-" Octavia protests but is promptly ignored. 

"For your information, I happen to enjoy being around your sister. Just because I'm in college doesn't mean I can't have friends outside of that world. Maybe if you weren't such a miser, you'd know that we are just having some fun."

He knows he should keep his mouth shut but he can't seem to help it. He kinda likes getting her riled up. In his most charming (sleaziest?) tone "Oh, I know how to have fun." And then he winks. 

"Eww gross Bellamy..." Octavia groans, shaking her head, hand covering her face. 

However, he can't bring himself to regret his words because Clarke's face is priceless. There's a brief moment of shock that flutters across her face only to be replaced by pure rage. If it wasn't so funny, it would be a little terrifying. 

Next thing Bellamy knows Clarke is gathering up her things with a quick "I'm done." 

"Octavia feel free to come over later and hangout. We can finish reviewing then." Sparing an outraged glance in Bellamy's direction she continues "Maybe it would be best if we do your tutoring sessions at my place." With her things in hand, she kisses Octavia on the cheek and heads out. 

Before she is completely out of earshot, Bellamy says loud enough for her to hear "Didn't mean to get your panties in a twist."

She stops immediately, turns on her heels and is mere inches away from his face in seconds. In a tone so low he knows only he can hear it "Nothing..." she slowly drags her eyes down his body with a look of utter disgust to emphasize her point "Nothing about you would ever get my panties in a twist. I don't see much more than an inflated ego and bad attitude." Then she's gone. 

He only mildly recognizes Octavia admonishing him. In fact, he's still staring at the space Clarke was occupying when he mutters "Brave Princess."


	3. Oops

(Clarke POV)

She was so tired. It had been weeks since she got more than 3 hours of sleep at a time. Her schedule was jam packed already. The addition of applying and interviewing for residency programs was starting to make things even more complicated. In fact, Clarke had considered canceling her tutoring session with Octavia that night but still couldn't bring herself to do it. 

Octavia seemed especially invested in their time together. Ever since her mother's passing and her brother's subsequent overbearing behavior, she hadn't been allowed the independence she was craving. Honestly, she was pretty sure that Octavia didn't even need tutoring anymore. Every time they reviewed for anatomy, Octavia breezed through everything just so they could continue in their girls night. Clarke had begun confiding in the younger girl just as much as Octavia had in her. They were friends. 

It's for this reason that she kept their tutoring sessions. 

Clarke decided that Octavia could help her get some of her work done tonight -- she could pretend to be her patient while Clarke diagnosed her. However, Clarke knew that she may have to coax Octavia into agreeing with her. So, she picked up a pizza and a dozen of Octavia's favorite cupcakes from the local bakery. Before entering her apartment, she knocked on the Blake's to inform Octavia she was home. 

Bellamy answered the door, a slow smirk gracing his face once he saw her. "Need something Princess?" 

(Bellamy POV)

"Is Octavia home? 

"No."

He can see shock briefly register on Clarke's face, "when will she be back?"

"Later."

"Obviously," She huffs, "Where is she?"

"No where you need to concern yourself with."

Clarke's eyes narrow, "Actually I do need to concern myself with it since we we're supposed to have a tutoring session tonight."

"That's too bad, Princess. She's not gonna be back tonight so you'll be having girls night alone." 

"Is she ok? Is she hurt? It's not like her to bail on our tutoring sessions."

The smirk finally vacates Bellamy's face, becoming sheepish at her line of questioning. Then, he was staring. Looking at Clarke like she grew a second head. 

Until she uttered those sentences, he never actually thought Octavia had meant anything to Clarke. Yeah, she said (yelled?) she did but he never believed her. In his eyes, Clarke was just another person that was going to leave them -- not them, Octavia. 

It wasn't until he heard "Octavia, are you ok?" That he was drawn out of his trance. He briefly wonders why this shit keeps happening around this woman. She is infuriating. 

It's clear that Clarke tired of his lack of answers and went straight to the source. 

"You are... 

Good, I was worried...

No your brother didn't tell me that..." 

She is glaring at him now. He can guess that Octavia explained the situation -- she's at a school lock in fundraiser for the night and may have requested that Bellamy contact Clarke to cancel. He forgot. No big deal right. Clarke's a big girl. He shrugs at her. 

Her cheeks turn red and her eyes almost bug out of her head. He just can't help it - he smiles at her. She's just so beautiful when she's angry. Nope. Wait. Step back. Not beautiful. Not beautiful. Funny. She looks so funny. 

Her tone when speaking with Octavia doesn't give her annoyance (anger?) away though. "It's fine... 

Don't worry about me... 

Trust me..." Finally she looks away from him and smiles into her phone. He wants to turn away, feeling like he's spying on a private moment, but his brain has yet to acknowledge the request. 

Dammit, he completely spaced out again. It's the only explanation because the next thing he knows Clarke has hung up her phone and is bending down to pick up her bag...bags.... And boxes. How did he not notice all this shit she was carrying? 

(Clarke POV) 

Clarke tries but realizes quickly that there is no way she is going to get all this back in her arms and in her apartment in one go. She's not even sure how everything made it safely back to the apartment with her. So she leaves it to unlock her door and carry it into her place. She's turning back to tend to her things when she almost barrels into Bellamy. She squeaks in surprise, "Oh!"

He grunts "Where do you want it?" when she notices that he has all her stuff. 

She scrambles out of the way, "Oh, uh, the table is fine." He is setting it down with a gentility that she never would have guessed he possessed. She blurts, "So you can be a gentleman?"

He chuckles, "Don't get used to it, Princess." And he's gone. 

She's smiling.


	4. Mailboxes and Exes

(Bellamy POV) 

Bellamy has been working a lot of overtime lately to start a savings account toward college for Octavia. Clarke graciously agreed to check in on his sister while he’s on shift. 

Last night was the first night he'd had a full nights rest in over a week. Sleep must have helped his brain functions kick back in because he realizes now that he forgot to do a bunch of stuff this week including grabbing his mail. Maybe he should have Octavia do it from now on. He's hoping it hasn't piled up too much when he spots her tending to her own mail. Just when he's about to get her attention (make a snarky comment), a young man with long straggly brown hair steps up to her. Bellamy sizes Prettyboy up and decides he doesn't like the look of him especially once he hears him call Clarke "princess" and she responds in an elevated tone "You don't get to call me that." Bellamy smirks at that. You tell Prettyboy that's not his nickname any more. 

Prettyboy looks stricken but it doesn't deter his obvious advances. This only adds to Bellamy's annoyance. 

As Bellamy gets closer he can hear more of the conversation. "You had a girlfriend, Finn. A girlfriend that you failed to mention. A girlfriend that lives in this building. That I was friends with." She looks so sad in that moment, so disappointed. Bellamy ponders whether or not she's ever looked at him like that -- the thought makes him a little sick. 

"Clarke, I should have told you. I know that now. Can we just talk about it?" Bellamy rolls eyes. He notices that Clarke does too. This guy can not be serious. 

"There's nothing left to say." With that said, she attempts to move away but Prettyboy (Finn?) grabs her arm and pulls her back. 

"Let go of me."

"Please Clarke just five minutes. I love you."

"Dude." He didn't intend on getting involved but as soon as Finn touched Clarke he couldn't hold back his tongue. Shit he was barely holding back his fists. 

They are clearly startled, though he spots a little bit of tension leave Clarke as soon as she recognizes him. 

"The Princess asked you to let her go."

Finn retorts "this is none of your business." 

"She's my..." Bellamy briefly considers using friend but that doesn't feel right, neither does the term he ends up using. She doesn't have a category he realizes, "... Neighbor. And I'm super protective of my neighbors." 

She raises an incredulous eyebrow at him, mouthing "super protective of my neighbors" with an obvious smirk. 

He just smiles at her. She smiles back. When Finn notices, he releases her arm like he's been burned and glares at Bellamy. Clearly frustrated, Prettyboy turns away and mutters that he'll talk to Clarke later. 

She huffs and goes back to her business. 

Bellamy saunters towards her, waiting for some acknowledgement from her. Nothing. Sarcasm is dripping from his lips when he says, "You're welcome Princess." 

She turns to him then, "I can fight my own battles." 

"Never said otherwise." 

She sighs, looking more tired than usual. "Thanks Bellamy." He can tell that she's being sincere when she says it. She turns away then, heading in the direction to their apartments. He hurriedly grabs his mail to catch up with her. 

"Hey Clarke, I know that we didn't exactly get off on the right foot..." 

She stops and fixes him with this look and he's already aware of what she's thinking. It's in that instant that he realizes had their introduction to each other gone differently, their relationship all together might be very different as well. The thought terrifies him. 

"OK, OK, OK... I may have misinterpreted your intentions when it came to my sister."

Clarke doesn't make it easy on him, "Yeah, and?" 

He laughs because of course she would expect him to expand further. He smirks at her then says, "I'm Bellamy Blake. My mom died and left me to take care of my younger sister. I don't know what the hell I'm doing." His tone is serious and the smirk has gradually left his features. 

Clarke eyes him for some time before responding. He's rubbing his neck, feeling like a complete asshat (God now he's using that word), and about to just walk away when she holds her hand out to him. 

"Hi I'm Clarke Griffin." 

He shakes her hand "Nice to meet you Princess."


	5. Laundry

(Bellamy POV) 

Clarke's been reading that damn book for 20 minutes already. He knows she knows he's there if only because she nodded at him when he entered the complex's laundry room. Though she doesn't seem too concerned with him, he is acutely aware of her. Her wavy blonde hair keeps falling in her face. She puffs a breathe up towards the offending piece of hair. He doesn't know why she hasn't just put it behind her ear already. Bellamy has half a mind to go over there and do it himself. Thankfully he hasn't. God what is wrong with him lately. 

Over the past few weeks, he has been spending more and more time around Clarke. He can't really say he's been spending time with her because Octavia is usually there and Clarke is her tutor (friend). So yeah, she's not supposed to be focused on him. But that's not to say he hasn't got to know her. He's learned more and more about Clarke each time she's near. Bellamy has been letting her get to know him too. 

Anyways, this is the first time they are in proximity without Octavia since the Finn incident and, of course, she's just ignoring him, going about her business. He honestly can't tell if she's doing it on purpose or not. Because he's been fidgeting around and pacing the room for 20 minutes and, well, she's crazy observant. It's unnerving how easily she can call him on his shit sometimes and know what he's thinking without giving any indication of it. How could she not notice his current behavior? 

Bellamy realizes that he's going to have to be the first one to speak. Usually Clarke gets the ball rolling. He's quick with a witty retort and there banter begins. He's not exactly sure how to start, coming up with quite a few snarky comments about her dirty laundry but he also doesn't want to completely piss her off. Pissed off Clarke is fun sometimes but given her ignorance of him, he thinks she'd just get up and leave if he took it too far. 

This is his chance to get to know more about her outside of Octavia's tutoring and the limited info he already has. He attempted to get some information from Octavia the other day and it didn't go so well. She caught on to his intentions immediately and has not stopped giving him crap. He can still hear her taunts of "you're in love with Clarke." 

He's not though, she's just around a lot and a pretty important person to Octavia. He's doing his due diligence as a protective older brother and that's exactly what he tried to explain to Octavia. Given her taunts though, Bellamy has decided not to ask her anymore questions about Clarke, he doesn't need to feed her delusions. 

The dryer Clarke has her stuff in dings. She's pulled everything out and has begun folding things. Her back is turned to him and he decides that if he's gonna say anything it has to be now. 

"You want me to turn around. Wouldn't want me to see anything that would ruin your goody two shoes image."

(Clarke POV) 

As soon as she hears him, she smiles and does a good job of tampering down a laugh. Clarke has been watching his antics the past thirty minutes and could tell her lack of attention was getting to him. She thinks it's past due for a little payback and has been gearing up for their inevitable banter the whole time. She's actually glad that her back is to him, wouldn't want to feed his ego with the knowledge that he can make her laugh. She's curious how her response to his jab will be received. 

"Don't worry, all my naughty lingerie gets taken to my dry cleaner. Only he and current boyfriends get to see those goods." She waits before turning around expecting him to bring up his own sexual prowess which he is often apt to do. She doesn't usually goat him with similar statements because Octavia's usually there and she's knows how much it grosses her out. But now is her chance and she's gonna milk it. 

Clarke turns to Bellamy. His face is priceless, jaw slack and eyes wide. He was obviously expecting her to respond like she normally does ("oh grow up Bellamy" or "you wish"). Their normal routine is completely out the window now. 

His mouth keeps opening and shutting like he's trying to respond but can't quite figure out how to. Ha! Ha! Ha! He's flustered and she wants to keep him that way for as long as possible. 

"What?" She says smirking, "lingerie is expensive and can get really dirty." The way she says dirty must get to him because his eyes bug out a little more (if that's even possible) and he shifts uncomfortably. 

Clarke can tell that he's recovering from her statements but she doesn't want to lose the upper hand so she decides it's time to go. She quickly grabs her laundry and heads toward the door. He's staring after her when she walks up to him. Standing closer than she ever has before and placing her hand on his arm. He staring at her hand when she says "The washer dinged a little bit ago. You really shouldn't leave your clothes in there for too long." She pats his shoulder and leaves smiling, "See you later, Bell."

(Bellamy POV) 

"Uh... See you later Princess." 

He doesn't know how long he is standing there. What the hell just happened? He had expected her to reply with sarcasm and a jibe about his lack of maturity, not regale him with how she handles her naughty lingerie and how dirty it can get. She did specifically say naughty right? God, just thinking about it is causing a reaction that he doesn't need or want when it comes to Clarke. 

Then he hears her say "boyfriends" in his head. And now all he feels is agitated. A little too forcefully, he places his and Octavia's clothes in the dryer, slamming the door and shoving the coins in the slot for it to begin its cycle. He decides right then that he will leave well enough alone. He doesn't have to deal with Clarke outside of her presence in Octavia's life. 

Then he hears Clarke's voice in his head again and thinks, did she call me Bell? Bellamy should have realized then that things were too far gone and he wasn't going to be able to just let it go.


	6. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the support. I hope you like the update.

(Clarke POV) 

Clarke is having a panic attack. She's sure of it. This test is critical to her future plans. If she doesn't pass, she can say goodbye to all those residency programs she applied to. In a desperate attempt to reign in her fear of failure, she heads towards apartment 2B. Octavia has this way of getting Clarke to lighten up and breathe. If she’s being honest with herself, if it weren't for Octavia and her mother she probably wouldn't have survived the past year. 

She can hear someone coming towards the door and it only causes her knocking to become more frantic. She yells through the door "Octavia!" 

Finally the door opens only to reveal Bellamy. He smiles at her, "Hey Clarke, what's up?"

"Where's Octavia? I need to talk to her."

"She's not here right now, at a friends house studying." 

That's when she completely loses it. She breathing harder than before, bent over. She is gonna be sick. There is no way she is going to pass this exam and her life will turn shambles. 

In the dark recesses of her mind, her rationale is yelling at her to get it together. She's a grown up. She's knows her shit and is being absolutely fucking ridiculous right now!!! 

And she is doing it in front Bellamy, the literal last person on earth she wants to have a breakdown in front of. 

"Clarke?!?"

She's vaguely aware of Bellamy grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her to an upright position. "Shit Clarke... You need to breathe..." And he begins taking deep breaths in and out prompting her to follow his lead. He's looking directly in her eyes and with so much intensity that it knocks some sense into her, slowing her breathing. It's becoming less and less erratic but Bellamy has yet to release her. Secretly, she's grateful because she thinks she would go right back into a downward spiral if he did. She will never admit that to him of course. 

Next thing she knows, he's pulling her into his apartment and, with a mild amount of force, seating her on the couch. Still looking her in the eye, "I'm going to get you a glass of water. I'll be right back. Remember deep calming breaths." If he wasn't being so sincere (caring?), she would give him a withering look. She watches him walk toward the kitchen then begins to take in the rest of the room. 

It's different than it used to be. There are more obvious signs of Bellamy in the apartment. There are stacks of books, mainly history, throughout the space. There's music on in the background. Nothing too heavy but definitely not mainstream. There are more pictures of his mom and less of him. 

He is sitting beside her again, willing her to drink the glass of water he has. He doesn't speak, just pleads with his eyes. She takes it and drinks a little bit at a time until it's gone. He takes it from her hand and sets it on the coffee table. 

"You OK?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend on doing that. I was looking for Octavias help."

He nods. "Scared the shit out me Princess. You're lucky I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, thank you for that. As a soon to be doctor, you handled that quite well." She regrets the statement right away because it only serves to remind her of why she panicked in the first place. 

(Bellamy POV) 

He smiles at her compliment but notices her tense up as soon as she finishes the sentence. She's in her own world now. He's afraid she might have another attack so he coughs to get her attention. 

"What's wrong Princess?" 

"Oh nothing. It's not a big deal." As she says this, she tries to hide the tears slipping down her cheek but he can be just as observant as she is (so yeah he can see it.)

"Bullshit, Clarke." She must be startled by the forcefulness in which he says it because she jumps a little. It may also be the fact that he’s using her name. He's not sure he ever has before today. It's kind of nice. 

He sighs and stares into her eyes as he speaks, "Look I know something is going on. You have your shit together most of the time, so I know something's going on for you to be behaving like this." 

She holds his gaze and he knows she's a little embarrassed to admit what's wrong. She sighs and does so despite her negative feelings. "I don't know if I'm going to graduate." 

"Ok...?" He waits for her to explain further. 

"There's this huge exam tomorrow and I'm just not ready and I can't seem to concentrate on anything. If I don't pass this test, my hopes of getting into a good residency program are completely shot and I just don't know what I'm going to do..." 

She's rambling now and he is smiling at her. God she is complete mess and he can't take his eyes off of her. He lets out a little chuckle. 

Clarke's rambling halts and he knows Clarke has misread it. 

She punches him in the arm and starts yelling, "Of course you're laughing at me. I should have known that you wouldn't care!"

That cuts at him and he glares at her. "Clarke."

She continues to yell and they're both standing now, looking like they're about to face off. 

"Clarke, stop yelling and let me explain." 

She doesn't stop. 

"CLARKE, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She closes her mouth immediately and looks a little terrified. That's when he realizes how close he is to her. 

He steps back. Runs a hand over his face, releasing a shaky breath. His hands are shaking a bit from the adrenaline streaming through his system. 

She remains quiet. Standing only a foot away from him, arms crossed and stabbing him with her eyes. 

"I wasn't laughing at you." She raises an eyebrow. "Well not exactly." 

"What exactly were you laughing at?"

"Not at your predicament. It was the rambling. You were rambling." She looks a little sheepish as he admits this. At her expression, he utters "it was kinda cute" before he really thinks about it. 

They're both surprised by this but she recovers first. 

She's smirking at him now, "you think I'm cute huh?" 

He stiffens at the mocking in her tone, "No. NO! That is not what I said. I said that the rambling was cute." She rolls her eyes at him. 

There's a moment of awkward silence before Clarke says, "Well if it makes you feel better, you're kinda hot when you're angry." He can hear the playfulness in her tone and the tension that had been in the room is completely gone. 

"I'm always hot," is his smug response. 

"You wish," she sticks her tongue out at him. And they both laugh. 

He pretends to be her patient for the next two hours, helping her prepare for her big exam.


	7. Letting loose

(Clarke POV)

Raven didn’t speak to her for weeks. When they did finally speak, it was ridiculously awkward at first. “I swear I had no idea that you were dating Finn…” Clarke was actually surprised how understanding Raven was, even if she did have those weeks to process everything that happened. 

They end up hugging, commiserating and damning Finn to hell over and over. He can suck it -- what kind of a guy fucks up that bad… with two amazing woman. They end up talking everyday after that initial conversation, even having a classic girl’s sleepover. When the weekend finally comes, they decide that they are awesome and deserve to go out, have fun and dance. Clarke really wants to dance. She doesn’t exactly get out much and this is exactly what she needed. 

Clarke is wearing a new dress that Octavia convinced her to buy -- its not really her style but she will admit that it does make her look good, tight in all the right spots, loose in others. It makes her confident -- Others may not have noticed because well she’s pretty opinionated and outspoken but this whole Finn situation kind of threw her through a loop. She’s been feeling a little insecure and she may have been hiding from the world. This dress doesn’t exactly let her hide. 

They’re at the local bar/ club, The Ark. She’s not really paying attention to her surroundings. Hips swaying, arms waving in the air -- her focus solely on the music. That’s why she’s confused when Raven looks beyond her, turns back to her, raises an eyebrow and smiles. She’s about to ask her what thats about when she feels a hand on her hip (digging a little possessively into said hip to be exact). Her eyes are wide and her heart beat picks up exponentially, ‘cause who the hell is behind her? She gives Raven a look, like what do I do, her friend’s smile just widens and she turns around. WTF? 

That’s when he whispers “hey Princess” and his breath is caressing her ear. She shivers. Then groans because there is absolutely no way to hide it from Bellamy. His front is pressed right up to her back and his hand has snaked its way up around her waist. She’s frantically trying to come up with an excuse to explain away the goosebumps that have now erupted all over her skin. She can hear his smirk when he says, “Who knew your highness could let loose?” 

(Bellamy POV)

He saw her the moment she walked into the bar. She looked stunning and he couldn’t help but stare. It was becoming a really bad habit of his when she was around. 

Octavia was spending the night at a friend’s house and he, thankfully, had the night off. So he and his buddies decided to hit the local bar. 

Thirty minutes into the evening, he’s still occasionally looking (ok maybe not so occasionally) at the princess when he notices that he’s not the only one. Bellamy’s not delusional, he knows that he’s not the only one that has noticed her -- she is gorgeous, he figured it was about time that he admit even if only to himself. 

It’s just that this particular someone eyeing her makes him want to punch things. When he notices that Prettyboy is no longer just watching and has started to move toward Clarke and he get this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach, telling him to get to her before prettyboy (even if just to warn her). He doesn’t really have a plan, he’s winging it per usual. 

Bellamy decides to have fun with it. If he can save her and rile her up, why not. By now, he has learned that when she’s riled up, she won’t back down from a challenge. His curiosity gets the better of him -- he kinda wants to see how far he can take it, which one of them will back down first. 

As he gets closer to Clarke, he notices Raven (their upstairs neighbor) notice him. He places his finger over his mouth, signalling for her to remain quiet as he comes up behind Clarke. Raven must be having a silent conversation with Clarke because he notices her raised eyebrow, intense gaze and smirk. Then Raven was gone -- she’s either ok with him sidling up to Clarke or thinks that the princess can take care of herself (she totally can). 

Bellamy places his hand on her hip, adding a little pressure, and pulling her close. He whispers “hey Princess” into her ear, letting his breath caress her skin. She shivers and he knows he made the right decision. 

He lets his hand slide around her waist, pulling her against his body. Goosebumps are spreading across her skin and his smile widens. “Who knew your highness could let loose?” 

She stiffens at the comment and makes a move toward his foot with her heel. Luckily, he had prepared himself for just such a reaction and gracefully shifted his foot away. 

“Whoa, whoa Clarke, I’m just trying to save you from an awkward encounter with the ex.” He’s still speaking into her ear (he tells himself the reason for the close embrace is to ensure that Finn can’t hear him but honestly he doesn’t even know if Finn is near). 

She’s relaxed a little, no longer fighting his grasp. She turns to face him, remaining in his embrace, placing her hands on his shoulders, leaning toward his ear and questioning his strategy, “What’s the plan?” Her lips graze his earlobe and his brain short circuits for a second (he may have let a groan slip past his lips at the contact). She has a smug look on her face when she pulls back and he knows that he needs to strike back right this fucking second. 

Bellamy answers her question by yanking her forward into him, anchoring his hand at the small of her back and pressing their bodies as close as humanly possible. They lock eyes and he shifts his other hand up to her cheek, running his thumb across her bottom lip. He continues to slowly painstakingly caress her skin. Moving along her jawline, down her neck (he can feel her struggle to swallow), then onto her collarbone. He’s watching her closely, waiting for the slightest change in her expression but she’s right there with him, letting him touch her and he knows that this isn’t a game anymore. 

His touch is barely there but its the only thing they are aware of in the moment until Clarke moves her hand up the back of his neck and threads her fingers into his hair. The space between their lips is getting infinitely smaller when Bellamy’s phone buzzes. They’re so startled by the sensation that they end up knocking their heads together, breaking the trance. 

“You should probably answer that.”


	8. Silent conversations

(Clarke POV)

“You should probably answer that.”

He takes a small step away from her, “Yeah, I probably should.” She expects him to walk away but he doesn’t, just turns slightly to the left and lifts his phone to his ear. She is hyper aware that his hand lingers on her hip and she can’t bring herself to shift away from the touch. Her thoughts may be spiraling into an analysis about what it could mean when someone taps her on the shoulder. She turns towards it to find Finn. Seriously, why can’t he take a hint. 

“Clarke, can we talk?” 

“Finn, we’ve talked several times and nothing is going to change.”

“But you don’t understand. I’m in love with you. I want to be with you. I just didn’t know how to let go of Raven. We had been together for so long…” 

“Finn, you do realize that I came here with Raven. We just started talking again and I don’t want you to ruin our friendship again. Please leave.” 

She’s turning away from him and back towards Bellamy when Finn notices the way Bellamy's hand is gripping Clarke's hip, “Is he the reason that you won’t talk to me? You can’t be serious, you know he’s just using you.” 

“How on earth could you possibly know that? You don’t even know his name.” 

“I’ve seen him around..."

She doesn't hear the end of that sentence because Bellamy's grip on her has tightened, his voice sounds harsh and panicked, "What happened? Where are you? Is O okay?" 

Clarke immediately turns toward Bellamy, watching his expressions carefully. Anxiety is radiating off of him and she places her hands on his chest. She's not sure if she's trying to calm him or herself, but either way it seems to help. He makes eye contact with her, his eyes are intense, filled with fire, and they're having a silent conversation. 

Something's wrong with O. I need... 

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. 

He's still speaking into his phone, "Ok. I'm on my way.... No, I'll be fine. Clarke's with me" and as soon as he hangs up, "Can you..."

"Let's go. I can text Raven on the way." 

Bellamy removes his fingers from her hip only to intertwine them with her hand. Then, he's pulling her toward the exit until suddenly he stops and she plows right into his back. She shifts so she can see what halted their movement. Finn is standing in their path. 

"Move." Bellamy's booms. She didn't think one word could sound so terrifying. 

Surprisingly, Finn holds his ground, "Where are going with Clarke?" 

Bellamy responds with an exasperated "I'm not doing this right now," then he halls his arm back and punches Finn in the face. 

Finn's, on his ass, groaning in pain when Bellamy starts pulling her with him toward the exit again. She can't help but feel a little in awe of him at the moment. Everyone who witnessed the exchange is quick to move out of the way.

Next thing she knows, Bellamy leads her to the passenger side of his car, then, heads to driver's side. They're on the road in no time.


	9. Sh*t Happens

2 hours later (Clarke POV)

Octavia and Bellamy are facing off in the living room of their apartment while Clarke silently watches them from the dining room table. She’s not quite sure if she should leave them alone. Normally she would because, well, they fight all the time but they also love each other so it doesn’t usually take much for them get through it. But this wasn’t exactly a normal fight. Clarke’s never seen either of them like this before. 

When Bellamy started driving from the club toward wherever he was headed, Clarke hadn’t known exactly what to expect. She thought she had covered most of the scenarios in her head, she was wrong. They ended up at what looked like a warehouse. There were several cop cars and kids being hauled off in them. Off to the side but not completely out of the fray stood Octavia and Miller (Bellamy’s best friend and colleague). Bellamy headed straight for them. The look in his eye was quite disconcerting and she had a feeling that she should get to Octavia before he did. She maneuvered herself around without being too obvious (she hoped) and quickly latched onto Octavia, making it look like she was checking her over for injuries (or inebriation). Shockingly, Octavia let Clarke fuss over her while Bellamy pulled Miller aside and got the details of what had happened. Soon after, they were all in the car on there way back to the Blake’s apartment. And it was tense. No one spoke, no one moved, it seemed as if no one was breathing. Bellamy’s knuckles were white against the black steering wheel. It remained rigidly tense and utterly silent until they entered the apartment and Bellamy reared toward Octavia. 

“What were you thinking, O?” Bellamy growls. 

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. Its not like I knew there was illegal shit going down. I just wanted to go out and have some fun.”

“Yeah, lots of fun getting picked up by the police. You’re fucking lucky Miller was there.”

Octavia snorts, “Oh yeah, I feel real lucky. Having you pick me up, drag me off. I just know you’re on the verge of locking me in this freaking apartment for the rest of my life.” 

“Damn right.” 

“This is exactly why I don’t tell you anything. YOU keep me locked up all the time. I’m barely allowed to see my friends. You grumble if I go over Clarke’s and she lives just across the hall. Its suffocating. I hate being here. I wish mom was still here instead of you.” 

Clarke’s eyes go wide. Bellamy looks like he’s just been slapped. Octavia stalks toward her room and promptly slams the door. Silence. 

Clarke’s reeling from Octavia’s confession, which means Bellamy must be wrecked. As the thought enters her brain, she turns toward him and realizes that he has punched a hole through a wall and rearing back to do it again. There’s way too much punching happening tonight she thinks as she hastily makes her way toward him. She grabs his forearm with both hands before he’s able to breach the wall again. As soon as she has a hold on him, he seems to buckle under the weight of it all. He doesn’t fight her as she pulls him toward the kitchen sink to clean him up. 

His knuckles are scraped up and bleeding slightly with wall debris intermixed in the open wounds. It looks a little swollen. It's definitely going to bruise. 

"What is wrong with you? You could have broken your hand." She's not looking at him when she's says it. That's probably why it's so easy for her to continue rambling. "I mean really. First, were getting Octavia from the police at some druggy rave and now I'm gonna have to take her idiot brother to the hospital because, apparently, the Blakes have limited impulse control." 

"I have impulse control." 

"Hmmph."

"Princess, I'm fine and you seem...worn out. Maybe it's time you go home." 

She looks up at him then, a little stricken. Clarke tears her eyes away from his to look down at herself. She's still in her heels and her dress. She may be a little tired but she certainly doesn't look worn out. He must notice her incredulous expression because he tries to clarify his statement before she gets too worked up. 

"I mean it's late. It's been a long day. From the state of my wall and the fact that my ears are still ringing from O's unique ability to effectively slam doors, it's probably going to be..." Bellamy turns to star at Octavia's bedroom door as he finishes his thought "...a long next few weeks."

“Ok. Well. I’m just gonna check on O before I go.” 

“No. No, She doesn’t need you to check on her. She will be fine. I don’t need you feeding into her dramatics.” 

“Wow. Ok. Why did you even ask me come Bellamy?” 

“I...I didn’t… I… You just came. You were trying to get away from Finn. I was doing you a favor.” Its like a slap to her face. He can not be serious. Finn was there but she could have handled him easily. In fact, the end result (Finn on the floor writhing in pain) would have probably been the same. She thought they had a moment. There is no way that she just imagined everything that happened tonight. 

“Really? That’s how you're playing this?” 

“I’m not playing anything. That’s what happened.” 

Obviously, she is not on the same page as Bellamy. She doesn’t know why she thought he was doing anything but fucking with her. How could she think he actually gave a shit about her. 

“Fine. Go ahead and keep telling yourself that Bellamy. Also, like I said when we first met, I’m gonna be here for O whether you like it or not.” Clarke has already started to grab her things. As soon as she gets everything together, she’s heading for the door. Before she’s exits the apartment, she yells toward Octavia’s bedroom, “O, CALL ME IF YOU NEED ME!” 

Then she promptly leaves, slamming the door behind her. The wall shakes.


	10. Asshat

(Bellamy POV) 

It's been over a week since he's seen or heard from Clarke.

And Octavia's been mostly giving him the cold shoulder. They've managed to at least reach a level of civility, maybe even uttered grudging apologies in each other's direction but by no means are they on the same page about the level of freedom Octavia "deserves." Mostly, they both agree that he was a dick to Clarke. 

He's generally kind of a dick but he reached a new low the last time he saw Clarke. She has been so helpful with Octavia especially after all of his doubting, grumbling and, general, dickishness. He was pushing her away, he's can at least admit it to himself. 

Bellamy knows that Octavia has spoken to Clarke a few times since that night. And every time she gets off the phone with her, she promptly calls him an asshat. He doesn't even fight her on it. But that doesn't mean he's ready to grovel for forgiveness either. So, he hasn't tried to contact Clarke. He's been waiting for tonight, for her and Octavia's tutoring session. He figures Octavia informed Clarke that she was grounded, therefore, Clarke will have to come there. 

Bellamy's making dinner -- adobo, something Clarke always seems to enjoy -- when he realizes what time it is. 

He yells toward Octavia's room, "O, don't you think you should get your stuff ready for when Clarke gets here?" 

He hears a muddled response through the door, "She canceled."

He immediately drops what he's doing, heading toward Octavia's room, "what do you mean, she canceled?" 

Octavia glares at him from her bed then turns back to the magazine she's reading, "she has plans tonight so we are gonna get together later this week or next week."

"Next week?!"

"Yeah...Look if you're worried about my grades, you don't need to be. I'm doing fine. We really don't study as much as we used to. It's more girl time than anything."

"I know you're doing fine. What's so important that she canceled?"

"Why do you care?"

A little forcefully, he says, "I don't... I just think the princess should keep her promises."

"God, you're such an asshat. It's none of your business. Just because you get to know where I'm at all the time and order me around, that doesn't mean you can do the same to Clarke."

"I don't care what the princess is doing." He sounds petulant even to his own ears. And Octavia's sending a raised eyebrow and disdain in his direction, so it's pretty clear they both recognize how false that statement is. 

He sighs resigning himself to the fact that he can't fool Octavia. He honestly doesn't know why he tries anymore. "I was going to apologize for being an asshat as you like to put it."

"Well you're just going to have to man up, stop waiting for her to come over and GO talk to her. Suck it up, Bell."

"Hmmph."

"Just not tonight."

"I knew it. You know why she canceled." 

"I'm not telling you."

"Yes you are or I'm gonna tack on another week to your sentence." It's a low blow. 

She looks startled like she was not expecting that tactic (honestly, she usually has him wrapped around her little finger). Octavia frowns at him but he knows she hates being stuck in this apartment especially with limited phone/ internet access. He knows she’ll let the cat out of the bag soon enough. It’s a waiting game at this point. 

A few minutes later she sighs then stares at him resolutely, "It's really none of your business but she has a date tonight." 

He wasn’t prepared for that answer and can’t stop himself before, "With who?"

"Finn."

"No, she doesn't. They broke up."

"Yes, she does. He's been trying to get her to talk to him for weeks and, recently, decided to give him a chance."

"He's a douche. Why would she do that?"

"If you hadn't noticed, Clarke doesn't realize how awesome she is. It probably doesn't help when the people she cares about treat her like a nuisance." She looking at Bellamy pointedly, "Whatever. I told her Finn is an even bigger asshat than you but she said she was still going to hear him out." It’s clear that she blames Bellamy for this debacle 

"That's stupid."

"Just leave it alone, Bell."

He lingers in Octavia's doorway but it's clear that she's done with the conversation. Returning to cooking dinner, he can't seem to get over the fact that Clarke is going out with Finn. Prettyboy doesn't deserve a second chance. Bellamy’s mind continues to stew, to the point where he can't just leave it alone. 

He’s knocking on Clarke's door before he knows it.

He can hear rustling around her apartment, a muffled "coming!" She opens the door and whatever he was planning on saying dies on his tongue. 

She looks absolutely stunning. "Princess...You look beautiful.” and he can’t help but frown a little at how gorgeous she looks standing in front of him getting ready to go on date with an even bigger asshat than him. Finn is such a douche. 

At his statement, the expression on her face changes immediately. Where it was annoyance before, it's been replaced with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. She's blushing and it makes her look even better. 

Him, at her door, telling her how beautiful she is must have been the last thing she expected (shit, it's the last thing he expected) because it takes a bit before she mutters a soft "thank you." 

"Don't go out with Finn." And as the words exit his mouth, he knows that's not really how he meant for this conversation to start. Clarke's eyes widen, almost comically and she begins to sputter until...

"What?!"

“I mean… don’t go out with Finn.”

“What?!? How do you… Octavia… This is none of your business!”

"Yes, it is. You’re Octavia’s friend and Prettyboy doesn't deserve you, princess." 

Her pointed retort is “Really? Suddenly, I’m Octavia’s friend and that somehow mean its ok for you to tell me how to live my life. Haven’t you been trying to get me out of your hair and O’s life for months now. I’m just a tired and worn-out med student with no life, right?!?” Then, she promptly slams the door in his face. 

His hand is in air to knock on the door when a forced cough sounds from behind him. He doesn’t need to turn around to know who it is but he does anyway. 

The smug look on Prettyboy’s face is the last straw on his patience for the evening. Bellamy immediately yanks Finn towards him by the collar. Finn attempts to protest but the look in Bellamy’s eyes assures that it dies on his tongue. 

When Finn is inches away from his face, Bellamy growls, “If you fuck this up, I fuck you up.” Then, he launches Finn away from him, into the opposite wall, and heads into his apartment. 

Octavia’s waiting for him, “Asshat.”


	11. Confrontations

(Clarke POV)

"Ugh! What an asshole!" 

She's lets out a frustrated cry as soon as the door is closed. She cannot believe that he thinks he can be so flippant with her one day and then overprotective or caring the next. He is such a dick. Clarke can't help it, she's livid. To the point where she's still berating Bellamy, only he can't hear her and she's really just talking to herself.

However, the muffled voices in the hall bring her attention back toward the hallway. Clarke's ready to stomp back out there when a knock sounds on her door. 

"Bellamy just go away. I'd rather not have another fight."

There a cough, "um... Clarke, it's... Uh, Finn."

She squeaks out a surprised "Oh!" Immediately wondering how much he witnessed over the last few minutes. She hastily checks herself in the mirror and heads toward the door and can’t keep her mind from recognizing that -- God, this is going to be such a shit show.

Finn hadn’t left her alone even one day since the incident, constantly telling her that she would come around if only she gave him a chance. Apparently, things weren’t much better for Raven. He seemed to believe that he could get one of them to cave with sheer persistence. In the end, they both felt that things were coming to a head and Finn would have to be dealt with one way or another. 

So, Raven and Clarke had decided it was time for an intervention (maybe a little payback) for Finn, purposely scheduling this “date” with the intention of confronting him and then walking out together. Exactly as it should be. 

Raven would be meeting them at the restaurant after her shift ended. Clarke just hoped she wouldn’t have to be alone with Finn too long. Now that her patience had been severely deteriorated by Bellamy, she knew that her temper would not hold up. Especially on a “date” with persistent, oblivious and shocking unrepentant ex that pulled her into an affair. 

God, this was going to be such shit show. 

Finn was smiling fondly at her when she opened the door and she plastered on her best “let’s do this” smile.   
\-------------

They proceed through the first part of the evening, the cab ride and ordering dinner in an awkward silence, Finn’s furtive gaze only making her more weary of this plan. Doubt is settling in with each passing moment. Why did I think this was a good idea? Why did I agree to this? I would rather be fighting with Bellamy than dealing with this shit. 

The thought catches her off guard and she questions the truth only briefly before realizing that of course its true. He’s wedged his way into heart alongside Octavia. But… she knows it’s also different. Clarke is not oblivious to the tension surrounding their every interaction. The flirtatious and sometime salacious banter. 

She’s draw out of her thoughts when Finn lays a tentative hand on her own and then tries to weave his fingers through hers. Her eyes go wide and she immediately removes her hand from the table and places it safely in her lap. She moves the other one below too, just to be safe. He looks sheepish for a minute, mistaking her abhorrence for hesitance. “Clarke, I know we’ve only just started to rebuild our relationship but you can trust me. I would never do anything to hurt you.”

Clarke can’t help the bark of laughter that escapes her mouth. Shit show.

“Finn, you hurt me. Almost broke me but you didn’t. But I think I should make a few things clear before this conversation continues… We are not rebuilding our relationship. In fact, I would prefer not to have any relationship, friendship or otherwise, with you after this evening.” 

He seems completely stunned by her words, like she couldn’t possibly be serious. “Clarke, I love you. We’re meant to be. Its only a matter of time before things go back to the way they were.”

“See, Finn, that’s where you’re mistaken. I don’t want to be with you. I was burned and I don’t plan on being burned. In fact, the best thing that came out of our relationship is walking this way.”

Right on queue, Raven plops down in the seat between Finn and Clarke, “Hey you crazy kids, what are you up to?”

Finn stammers for a minute before. “Raven, I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight. I thought we were going to meet later this week to discuss… things.”

“Oh we were, but Clarke and I got to talking… you know because we are friends and friends do that sometimes… and realized that you were just setting us up again. Waiting for one of us to forgive you. We decided to just kill two birds with one stone. I’m the stone.” 

“So, Finn, in short, we would like you to move on and let us do the same.” 

As her final farewell Raven drums her hands on the table, declaring “Badda bing, badda boom,” stands, reaching her hand toward Clarke. A clear sign that it’s time for them to go, together and united. Clarke lets Raven lead them out of the restaurant and onto the street. 

As soon as they’re outside, Clarke turns to Raven, “I thought we were aiming for intervention, not a mic drop.” 

“Well, you looked on the verge of homicidal when I walked in. So I decided to go with the shortened version. I think it got the point across.” 

As she says it, they both turn to see Finn frozen in place. Still sputtering to no one. 

“Yes, it definitely.” When they make eye contact, they can’t contain their laughter.   
\--------------

They catch a cab home and decide that they’ve been through enough emotional turmoil for one evening. Both of them could use their rest. 

Raven says her goodbyes and heads toward her apartment. Clarke’s fishing through her purse for her keys when she hears the apartment door open behind her. She pretends like she hasn’t though. Naturally, he has to get the last word.

“I told you he’s a douche, princess.” She feels a fire course through her briefly, but it dies quickly. Because really he’s right and she just doesn't have the energy to fight with him right now. Instead, she chooses to ignore the comment and continues on her mission of getting to bed early. 

“You could have called me to come get you. You didn’t have to call Raven. I bet that was awkward.” That does get under her skin though. The fact that he believes she would do anything to intentionally hurt one of her friends makes her want to cry and punch things simultaneously. Still, she’s tired. 

Without looking toward him, she responds, “Bellamy, I would have thought by now that you would have realized that I would do anything for the people I love and care about. Shockingly that includes you. I just wish you would stop thinking the worst of me.” 

Before she completely escapes she hears Bellamy’s broken “Clarke.”


	12. Living Arrangements

(Clarke POV)

Just when things seem to be getting better or at least not as awful, something else pops up and knocks her completely off course. 

She's getting home, thinking about how good it will be to sit down with some hot cocoa, catch up on her tv shows and let her brain and body rest when she realizes that her front door is open. 

Clarke's on high alert as she peers into her apartment. That tv she'd been daydreaming about is gone, along with what looks like several of her belongings. It's a complete mess, almost unrecognizable but she can tell that the robbers are long gone because everything is just so still. It feels like her belongings (or what's left of them) have settled into the chaos. 

She can't bring herself to go any further. She turns, rests her back against the wall just outside her apartment and sinks into the floor. 

She thinks she's in shock because she hasn't cried, yelled or broken down in anyway yet. Clarke knows it will happen, it’s just a matter of time. She decides to call the police before the inevitable breakdown occurs. -- They'll be here soon. There is an officer in the area. Blah. Blah. Blah. 

She must blank out during the conversation because she's not really sure what's going on anymore. She thinks that her breakdown is looming because her thoughts are now centered on her mother and the role she will play in this situation. Tears are starting to slip down her cheeks. It's been a rough couple of weeks. She did not need this.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Just keep breathing. 

Slowly, she stands, braces herself before fully entering the apartment. 

Clarke is sitting in the middle of the living room on her couch clutching a broken picture frame that holds the last picture she took with her dad before he died. She's startled by the knock at the entrance. 

There is a police officer staring at her then stepping towards her, "Ma'am, we received a call about a robbery." 

That's when she breaks. All tears and snot. Yep, there is snot. The officer looks unfazed but she's not sure he can understand what she's saying. She can't even understand what she's saying...

"Clarke!" 

Bellamy is here. Wait, what? What is Bellamy doing here? Then she takes in his uniform and she's knows another officer probably told him a call came in for his apartment complex. She knows he doesn't normally patrol this neighborhood. 

They haven’t seen or spoken to each other since their fight about Finn. Though the thought of it still niggles in the back of her brain, the relief of having him there with her overrides any anger she has. Right now, she’s not even sure she has any fight in her. She feels a little broken. 

The officer Clarke's been talking with doesn't seem to mind the interruption though, greeting him then asking "Blake, you got this?" 

Bellamy waves him off without even glancing his way, keeping his eyes focused on Clarke. The officer gets the message and heads out. 

He places his hands on her cheeks, thumbs wiping away tears. Then, he starts moving her around, checking her for injuries. He must not have been told that the robbers were gone before she got home. 

"They were already gone when I got home."

He visibly relaxes at her words and let's go of her. She immediately misses his touch. It was calming. 

Bellamy's standing now, walking around her apartment. Checking everything out. She can tell he's assessing the damage. She's been making a mental note of everything as well. 

He must have completed his assessment because he turns to her and says "Well, Princess, I guess you're sleeping at our place tonight." 

(Bellamy POV) 

He almost shit his pants when his buddy let him know that an officer was sent to his apartment complex for a home invasion. He called O on his way there just to make sure she was ok. Thankfully she was just getting out of school and hadn't gotten home yet. That's when his mind wandered to Clarke. He just had a feeling. A feeling that was confirmed as soon as he saw the front door of her apartment, the mayhem that followed and her tear stained face rambling to another officer (What’s his name? Joe?). 

She must not have been expecting him to show up (he's a cop, of course he's gonna show up at a crime scene in his building) but he sees the tension in her shoulders ease once he makes eye contact. 

After talking with her and taking a better look at the place, he learns that it wasn't so much a home invasion as it was a robbery. He's so glad she wasn't here when the perps were. Just the thought of her being here when they arrived is enough for him to decide that she's staying with them... whether she likes it or not. So when he tells her just that, he's prepared for a fight. 

Shockingly, she only looks mildly confused, maybe a little relieved. Then says, "are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok." 

(Clarke POV)

He's helped her finish filing the police report, call her insurance company and gather some of her things to take across the hall. At the moment though, he's not doing as much helping as snooping. She's not surprised really. She kind of expected it and, in all honesty, intends on doing some snooping herself while she stays with him and Octavia. Though it doesn't annoy or anger her per say, it is making her a tad uncomfortable. He was perusing her artwork a few moments ago, some of which is pretty personal, and she's not ready for anyone to see some pieces, let alone him. Some are of him (she may or may not have taken out her anger with him in one or two of them). They’re personal.   
Now, under the guise of grabbing her some more clothes, he walks into her bedroom and is rummaging through her closet and dresser. There's a sudden "Shit. Ok, wow. Shit" and then a slamming of something in the room and she runs toward it, afraid he may of harmed himself. 

Clarke finds him, face flushed and clearly embarrassed by something, "what happened? Are you ok?" 

"I'm fine. Good. Totally fine." Rubbing his neck, "maybe I should just stick to carrying things. You got this," pointing to my suitcase, "under control anyway." 

Clarke knows he saw something he probably shouldn't have and she'd rather just deal with it now, "Bellamy, what happened?" 

Not one to shy away from direct confrontation, she knows he will answer no matter how uncomfortable it makes him (And he looks really uncomfortable, hands in his pockets, trying to look anywhere but at her, all red in the face which given his complexion is saying something). 

"I saw your lingerie." 

She can’t help it when she bursts into laughter. He looks a little stunned by her reaction. 

(Bellamy POV)

This situation totally sucks but… 

He likes being able to snoop around Clarke’s apartment and the idea of her staying at his apartment has him a little amped. He’s not really sure why but he’s also not going to dig too deep to figure it out. For now, he’s going with it. 

It’s for this reason that he’s gotten Clarke through the standard “after getting robbed to do list” as quickly as possible. He’s helping her pack up some more clothes and subtly looking through her various drawers when he spots electric blue lace. Like really really bright blue. Lace. He’s stunned for a bit, he’s not sure how long. 

He knows he should just shut the drawer but its like it has some weird hold on him and he can’t. He can’t look away. Part of his brain is yelling “Creep!” while the other is saying “No way does Clarke own that, I gotta see this for my own eyes.” 

So, naturally, he picks it up. And immediately regrets it. Because he is a creep and it is exactly what he thought it couldn’t be. Electric blue lace panties. Tiny panties that he can’t help but picture Clarke wearing. Creep! 

"Shit. Ok, wow. Shit"

It’s out of his mouth before he realizes it and he knows he’s in trouble as soon as Clarke sets foot in her bedroom. 

Of course, she calls him on it and he can’t lie. Clarke will sniff that shit out and beat him with it. What he doesn’t expect is her response. He’s pretty sure she’s gone into shock because she still hasn’t stopped laughing. Its making him a little uncomfortable too. Is she laughing at me or the situation or the entire day? Not knowing the answer is kind of killing him.

“What’s so funny, princess?”

“You’re such a pig,” but it sounds fond and she’s still smiling. 

“I thought I was an asshat.”

She snorts, “Oh, yeah. definitely,” and all he can do is grin at her. 

“Come one, let’s get you some hot cocoa and binge on Netflix.”

“Sounds perfect.”


	13. Chapter 13

(Clarke POV)

The first night at the Blake’s goes pretty smoothly. She was expecting things to go pretty spectacularly bad -- at the very least, for there to be tension galore with nerves spiking and everyone on edge while she stays with the Blakes. But the first night Octavia and Bellamy focus on making sure she's okay- trading off on getting food, getting the bed situation figured out and taking her mind off the awfulness of the day (mostly by attempting to make her laugh). It works surprisingly well. She attributes that first night to her new found comfort in the Blake’s apartment and, also, helping to ease the emotions stirring between her and Bellamy. 

It’s been nice. However, the reality of the situation is beginning to wear on her and, in turn, them. Octavia will be spending the upcoming weekend with some friends, making everyone weary of what may occur between her and Bellamy if left alone for an extended period of time. Which is why Clarke is currently battling the landlord about fixing the door and upgrading the locks on the windows. It’s been three days and he absolutely refuses to do anything more than put a piece of wood over what used to be her entryway. Apparently, being a responsible renter, getting renter’s insurance and providing assurances that any costs to repair the damage will be reimbursed has done little to sway him. Clarke’s not sure if she is going to punch him or burst into tears. Probably both if things continue in this direction. 

As if waiting for her cue, Octavia stomps out of her bedroom and right into the face of the landlord. “What the hell is your problem, your going to get your money!”

“Yeah, and I’ll fix it when I get the money.”

“Yeah, so you can buy the cheapest piece of shit door and pocket the rest.” He bristles a little at this and is opening his mouth to retort...Only, Octavia ignores him, “We’re done with your bullshit. We are going to report you as a slumlord and notify the insurance agency of your tactics -- they’ll get it fixed properly and, also, report you to the authorities. We aren’t a bunch of naive kids who can’t take care of ourselves. So, either get it together or we’ll make you.”

The man moves forward, grabbing onto Octavia’s wrist, pulling her in close. HIs words sound like venom, “You can’t make me do shit little girl. I can kick you out whenever I want…”

Before Octavia can respond and Clarke can break the man’s nose, Bellamy gains everyone’s attention, “Oh, really. I didn’t realize that you had that type of authority. Please tell me, how did we violate our lease? Or were you threatening my sister without cause? ” He’s standing at the front door, in his uniform, looking incredibly intimidating. His eyes are hard, trained on the landlord’s hand around his sister’s wrist. 

The landlord looks a little stunned but doesn’t remove his hold from Octavia. Bellamy steps forward, growling, “Remove your hands from my sister before I arrest you for assault.” 

The man does release Octavia and step back from her. He then cautiously makes his way toward the front door, skirting Bellamy. However, before he is able to disappear, Bellamy grabs his attention again, “Oh, and Cage, I highly recommend that you fix Clarke’s door before I find something else to arrest you for.” It wouldn’t be surprising if Bellamy already had some stuff on Cage considering some of the things she’s seen go down in the building since moving in. 

When Cage is out of sight, Bellamy sighs and enters the apartment. He makes a short pit stop at the fridge for a beer and settles into the couch. It’s clear he’s had a rough day but he usually needs some time to decompress before anyone tries to pry the stress out of him. So, with a look to each other, Octavia returns to her room to finish packing for her weekend away and Clarke turns toward the kitchen to start on dinner. 

She’s not the best cook but she does have a few things that she can do really well. She had already planned on making lasagna for the evening. Clarke’s gathered all the ingredients to make a big batch along with a hearty salad (Bellamy’s big on always having a hearty amount of vegetables with meals) and some homemade garlic bread. 

The lasagna is in the oven and she’s prepping the garlic bread when Bellamy wanders over.   
\--   
(Bellamy POV)

The smell radiating from the kitchen draws him in. He knows he’s been brooding for a while now and he should probably pretend to be a human being, especially before Octavia leaves. He doesn’t want her worrying while she’s at her friends this weekend. It’s the first time he is letting her leave the apartment for an extended period of time after the whole rave debacle and he wants it to go as smoothly as possible (for both of them). 

When he enters the kitchen, he’s surprised to see Clarke working on dinner alone. He didn’t think she knew how to cook, at least not anything that could smell this good. But, he must admit, he is learning more and more about Clarke every day. The more knowledge he gains, the harder it gets to deny his growing affection for the woman. She is infuriatingly adorable. He’s also become less concerned with keeping his distance from her. So, he decides to settle himself behind her, close enough that he can peek over her shoulder to inspect the food more closely. 

Bellamy takes great pleasure in seeing the shiver that runs through Clarke’s body when he breathes, “Whatcha makin’ princess?” into her ear. 

“None of your business.”

“My kitchen. My business.”

She huffs but acquiesces, “It supposed to be a surprise. Kind of a pre-thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank us for anything. It’s been… It’s been.. Uh.. nice having you here. You know despite all the random piles of stuff I keep finding around.” 

“Ha Ha. I only have one pile and its not too bad.” At this, they both look toward her pile, then look at each other. It doesn’t take long before their staring contest is interrupted by their laughter.


	14. Dinner Date?

(Clarke POV) 

The garlic bread is just coming out of the oven as Bellamy finishes setting the table. He must have decided to go all out because he added a tablecloth and some candles. 

“What's all this for?”

“I dunno. I thought nice dinner...might as well make it extra special since you put so much work into it.”

She can't help the fond smile that grows on her face. It only gets worse as Bellamy’s mouth quirks up into a smile of its own. 

It doesn't last long though. As soon as Octavia steps into the room, “Fox is picking me up earlier than I thought. I'm gonna have to skip dinner,” both smiles drop. 

“You're not skipping dinner. She can join us or she can wait.”

“Bell, l want to stay for dinner but Fox said her Aunt Indra is in town and that she's giving a self-defense class tonight that we can go to. I want to do that more. Don't you want me to learn how to defend myself?” 

As soon as Octavia utters the question, Clarke knows that Bellamy is going to cave. He will always cave to things he thinks might help protect his baby sister. 

Bellamy sighs, rubs his hand down his face but he seems resigned, “O, you gotta eat something if you're going to go workout, especially if you want to learn it properly.” 

“I can take some garlic bread to go. Right, Clarke?” 

She looks to Bellamy hoping her words don't upset him “oh, of course… take as much as you'd like. I made plenty.” 

Soon after the garlic bread has been raided, Octavia swiftly makes her exit. When the door shuts, the sound of it seems louder than it should, resounding with all of the possible implications of a nice dinner alone between the two of them. 

Bellamy is still rubbing his neck, staring at the closed door, unsure how to proceed when Clarke takes the next step for him. 

She coughs, “Umm… dinner.. Dinner is ready and we don’t want it to get cold. So, umm. We can dig in whenever.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. It smells great, princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> tiny chapter but progress is progress... at least i hope it is. Enjoy!


End file.
